Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Visage Alteration and Restructuring (2)

A settlement located a short distance from the River Capital.

It was an anonymous hamlet, left unregistered because it lacked the means to provide taxes.

Consequently.

That very settlement was currently being wiped from existence, vanishing as obscurely as it had endured.

Amidst the blazing cabins, surrounded by dead bodies and wreckage.

Sang Gwanhwi unsheathed his blade and glared intently at the figure standing opposite him.

A dark visage covering, attire matching the midnight shadows.

Only a pair of eyes peeked out beneath the lunar glow.

Yet those eyes remained entirely devoid of feeling.

Resembling the cold gaze of a carved Buddha.

Or perhaps not, for even a sculpted deity might harbor a shred of compassion.

Truly, nothing whatsoever could be discerned from that stare.

“Who… just who are you supposed to be?”

The figure remained completely motionless.

“Are you an executioner deployed by the Dark Rakshasa Way?”

Still, no reply came.

The assailant merely flicked his blade, the very weapon that had just decapitated his second-in-command, toward the dirt to cleanse it of crimson droplets.

Swoosh-.

Instantly, the warriors of the Patrol Sword Corps rallied into formation behind Sang Gwanhwi.

Though they had been pillaging the settlement in their own individual fashions, they were still true professionals.

Twenty-nine men.

Every single one had already bared their steel.

Their formidable, sharp presence and lethal intent merged together, swiftly pushing back the blistering heat radiating from the fires.

A pristine, righteous pressure, capable of shattering a common rogue from an Unorthodox Faction without even deploying inner energy, saturated the entire hamlet.

Thirty against a single opponent.

And those thirty comprised the elite ranks of the Patrol Sword Corps.

They were the premier combatants of the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect, a dominant force within the Orthodox Murim.

Each man held capabilities sufficient to be recognized as a top-tier expert throughout the Jianghu.

Naturally, Sang Gwanhwi himself was an unparalleled combatant, the commander of the unit and celebrated as one of the Three Swords of Vast Heaven.

Even if this adversary had slain Adjutant Hwangbo Gang in a single motion, there was no logical way he could withstand all thirty of them.

Hwangbo Gang had simply succumbed to an underhanded ambush.

“Execute the Vast Heaven Crane Wing Sword Formation.”

The Vast Heaven Crane Wing Sword Formation.

It was the fourth collective tactical arrangement utilized by the Patrol Sword Corps.

A high-tier array engineered for multiple combatants to encircle a lone target, executable by anywhere from ten to one hundred swordsmen simultaneously.

Shhhk-.

Spreading out like an avian predator unfurling its plumage, the combatants fanned outward to the flanks in a sweeping crescent.

Even as he directed them, Sang Gwanhwi kept a vigilant watch for any hidden attackers.

Had there been further adversaries, he intended to shift their tactical layout immediately.

Yet, no other presence made itself known.

“Heh.”

His rigid features softened, and a confident smirk returned to his face.

“We will uncover your identity in due time.”

The expanded crescent was already transitioning into a closed ring around the intruder, locking him inside.

Twenty-nine razor-sharp Vast Heaven blades converged on a central point.

Twenty-nine currents of murderous Vast Heaven Qi locked onto that very same position.

Then.

The moment Sang Gwanhwi elevated his weapon and aimed directly at the stranger, as if pulling back a taut bowstring.

Chffft-!

The entire tactical circle erupted with light, and a condensed mass of energy saturated the immediate surroundings.

The Vast Heaven Crane Wing Sword Formation was fully deployed.

At this stage, it mattered little if this individual was the master of the Dark Rakshasa Way itself.

Being trapped inside a tactical array of so many Patrol Sword Corps professionals?

No matter who they were, as long as they were mortal, they could not hope to break free.

“…”

Even so, the mysterious man never shifted an inch.

He made no attempt to rupture the perimeter, nor did he impede the locking of the trap.

He simply remained stationary.

As if daring them to proceed.

‘What is the meaning of this?’

Sang Gwanhwi’s gaze sharpened.

Why did the man appear so utterly unbothered?

The explanation, however, arrived swiftly.

It was a mere bluff.

This was the classic empty bravado exhibited by individuals unfamiliar with the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect, those who had never faced its true power.

“Commence the assault.”

Sang Gwanhwi ordered.

“Sever his extremities if necessary, but ensure he breathes. I require him alive to uncover his masters.”

He looked forward to seeing whether that stoic expression would persist under torture.

Dash-!

Within the perimeter they had established, the Patrol Sword Corps operatives advanced perfectly in tandem.

Whirrrr-.

Twenty-nine streams of Sword Qi surged forward like a singular, living entity.

Eight Waves Unified Beat.

Eight strikes simultaneously rained down upon the stranger from every compass point.

In that exact instant.

The atmosphere transformed.

Sang Gwanhwi and the remaining Patrol Sword Corps troops sensed it immediately.

The surrounding air grew incredibly heavy, mimicking the sensation of being submerged in deep waters.

No, it possessed a consistency far thicker than water.

An all-encompassing pressure that blanketed the entire area.

An energy that restricted their very breath.

It felt as though a liquid comprised entirely of concentrated energy had swallowed their environment.

They were supposed to be the ones trapping him…….

Yet in a flash, the entire battlefield had shifted into the stranger’s personal sanctuary.

They found themselves confined within an inescapable zone known as the Super True Qi Field, a concept entirely beyond their comprehension.

Right before the blades of the now-hesitant swordsmen could reach their target.

The figure executed a single strike.

Just once.

Swoosh—.

Something violent burst from his blade.

A tempest.

A maelstrom of energy spinning fiercely around the metal.

The energy itself spiraled destructively.

The swirling vortex of power unleashed by that rotation radiated outward in every direction.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

Shrieks of agony rang out simultaneously.

Six of the eight combatants who had lunged forward were thrown backward instantly.

Accompanied by the sickening sounds of snapping and splintering bones, a torrent of blood sprayed through the air, carried by the gale.

Three among them had perished before their bodies even struck the earth.

Their frames contorted and wrung like soaked garments.

The other three barely managed to survive with critical trauma by relinquishing their weapons and scrambling backward.

Completely incapacitated nonetheless.

As for the other two?

They were impaled together upon the intruder’s blade, resembling pieces of meat fixed to a skewer.

Without a chance to resist, merely twitching, their demise was already absolute.

“The initial one I dispatched, followed by three more here, two impaled, and three stripped of their ability to fight—”

The figure began calculating.

“The total comes to a mere 6.”

Current Count: 6/31

“It appears my interpretation of ‘subduing’ was flawed.”

The individual, Dong Bongsu, swept his weapon toward the earth once more.

At that action, the pair of mangled bodies saturated with immense Sword Qi were hurled directly at the three groaning men who were dragging themselves across the dirt.

The underlying force proved so immense that all five individuals were reduced to a single, gory mass.

Current Count: 9/31

Though they merged into one entity, the tally rose by 3.

It was evident that rendering an opponent unable to fight did not suffice.

To truly vanquish them, one had to go past mere incapacitation.

To Dong Bongsu, these men represented mere integers and metrics.

More than anything, they served as a grand experiment.

On the side.

“…!”

Sang Gwanhwi’s features had turned entirely bloodless.

His naturally fair skin was now so pale it could not lose another shade of color.

‘W-what kind of monstrosity is this…?!’

Could it be Sword Aura?

No.

It was entirely distinct from standard Sword Aura.

While Sword Aura extended energy outward like an elongated blade, this particular phenomenon involved an energy that was actively ‘spinning’ around the steel…….

A style of combat he had never witnessed, heard recounted, or even conceived.

Even so, Sang Gwanhwi clenched his teeth and bellowed.

“Hold your ground!”

He channeled his inner force into his blade.

Infinite Heavenly Flower Sword.

The pinnacle technique that had earned him renown.

The steel erupted in a radiant silver glow.

‘Though this technique is unfamiliar, if he relies on an aura, I shall counter with my own.’

His Heavenly Flower Sword Aura emitted a sharpness that rivaled Dong Bongsu’s Spinning Sword Aura.

It was a display of power fitting for one recognized among the Three Swords of Vast Heaven.

“Yaaah!”

Sang Gwanhwi vaulted forward.

Simultaneously, sixteen remaining swordsmen lunged inward, constructing a dual-layered ring from all eight directions.

Seventeen weapons descended upon Dong Bongsu concurrently.

Dong Bongsu moved as well.

Or rather, it was as if he vanished entirely.

Teleportation.

There was no alternate phrasing to depict it.

He could not be perceived through the normal physical senses.

Yet he had not completely dissolved.

A subtle residual trace was picked up by Sang Gwanhwi’s specialized perception.

That was the nature of inner energy.

It went unseen but remained detectable.

‘I have you!’

A faint current of energy.

It was moving steadily and uniformly along a singular trajectory.

It traveled with unfathomable velocity, yet its path remained constant.

Clang-!

Sang Gwanhwi drove his blade forward.

However.

Perception was irrelevant.

Launching the strike meant nothing either.

Speed, it seemed, was far more critical than any other factor.

Dong Bongsu’s locomotion literally compressed the distance as he advanced.

First a massive stride, then a minor shift, followed by a gap so incredibly small it defied measurement.

Zip- Zip- Zip-.

A blade flashed across the space.

Three times.

Yet within those three quick sweeps, Dong Bongsu had condensed the distance between himself and his targets thousands of times over to complete his run.

Thud-! Splat…….

Three swordsmen simultaneously erupted with blood.

A throat was severed.

A torso was impaled.

An abdomen was ripped open.

The systematic dismemberment of their bodies occurred all at once.

In a split second, the corpses broke apart into fragments and drifted into the air.

Whoosh-!

Delayed in its arrival, Sang Gwanhwi’s blade sliced through nothing but vacant air.

Where only Dong Bongsu’s residual image lingered.

Yet all of this unfolded within a microscopic fragment of time.

Realistically, it was a razor-thin margin.

Sang Gwanhwi’s Heavenly Flower Sword Aura managed to clip the edge of Dong Bongsu’s shifting garments.

But the significance of a torn piece of fabric compared to three obliterated members of the Patrol Sword Corps was vastly unequal.

“…”

The adversary’s actions were far too calculated, and his blade work was entirely precise.

Every strike and defensive maneuver aligned perfectly with his calculations.

Though he could not comprehend the mechanism, this entire battlefield had already been completely subjugated by the man’s absolute zone.

If that were the case, it made perfect sense why their tactical array proved entirely ineffective.

‘Deceitful wretch.’

It was blindingly obvious that he had established a trap in this location, orchestrating their ambush from the very beginning.

By utilizing the village women as a lure.

The individual was undoubtedly an expert, but not at an unattainable level.

However, the current predicament resembled a swarm of insects that had inadvertently landed upon a spider’s web.

As trapped insects, no matter how desperately they thrashed, their positions would be signaled to the predator via the web’s oscillations, inevitably paralyzing their movements.

“Fall back!”

Sang Gwanhwi vociferously commanded.

“All squads, retreat! Move out! Head toward the north!”

— Scatter in every direction, then reconvene at the center of the southern woods we noted during our approach.

The opening command was shouted aloud, while the subsequent instruction was delivered via Secret Sound Transmission to everyone.

Whether the tactic would succeed was a concern for later.

If it could disorient the foe, he had to employ every strategy available.

This was no time to protect his pride.

Remaining here meant certain destruction.

The surviving members of the Patrol Sword Corps instantly dissolved their lines and began fleeing in all directions.

Following a mere handful of exchanges, fewer than twenty remained alive.

“Flee!”

There was no leisure for contemplation.

Sang Gwanhwi activated Flight Over Grass, sprinting forward with simulated flight.

His pale garments were already splattered with deep crimson, but he lacked the luxury to care about such details.

The moment he broke free from the viscous, oppressive zone of energy that had shackled him, he cast a glance backward.

The figure remained motionless in the exact same spot.

Framed by the burning settlement.

Completely static.

‘Follow me, then.’

Just as you trapped our forces within your domain.

I shall entice you into ours and butcher you.

Following that, I will strip the flesh from your bones and deliver it to the Dark Rakshasa Way.

Sang Gwanhwi redirected his focus forward, dedicating his entire being to his escape.

It was the classic illusion of the hunted.

The false belief that an exterior boundary to the hunting grounds actually existed…….